Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Compiled and adapted by Physicians for a National Health Program (LINK www.pnhp.org) from multiple
lobbying guides by nonprofits, with some additions by Nancy Price.
Call the District Office. When you call your legislator’s office, ask to speak with the person who handles the
legislator’s schedule. Tell the scheduler the date and time you would like to meet with your legislator (be
flexible) and the general topics you wish to discuss.
For visits to the local office, seek appointments during congressional recess periods when your Member of
Congress returns to your district. Legislators are also frequently home in the district Friday through Monday
when Congress is in session.
Let the scheduler know that the meeting should take no longer than one hour. If there is more than one
person attending the meeting, let the scheduler know their names and affiliations. A good delegation is
between five to eight persons. If someone in your group knows the legislator personally or professionally,
make sure that the scheduler is aware of the relationship.
Be persistent. The objective of this initial contact is to secure a time and date to meet with your
representative. Be persistent yet polite, and make it clear that YOU, the Member’s constituent, are the most
important person (s)he will ever listen to. Lots of times it can be hard to get a meeting, but persistence will
generally be rewarded with a meeting with your representative.
Meet with somebody. If your Member of Congress can’t meet with your group, don’t feel snubbed. Meet with
the staff member who works on the issue that most concerns you. For most issues relating to health care
reform, you will want to meet with the domestic policy staffer. Usually that person will be based in Washington,
but there will also be an aide in the local office who can meet with you. Try to meet with the highest-ranking
aide possible in the local office, i.e. the Senior Aide.
Confirm your appointment. After you schedule a meeting, send a confirmation letter that includes a list of
those who will attend the meeting.
Just punch in your ZIP Code and the site provides you with contact information and a web page for your
Member of Congress. You will be able to find biographical information, committee and subcommittee
assignments, and key issues of concern for your Member.
Review your legislator’s voting record and any publicly stated views or opinions. Find out whether he or she
was a co-sponsor and endorsed HR 676 in the 110th Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-
in/bdquery/z?d110:HR00676:@@@P and whether he or she is now a co-sponsor in the 111th Congress at
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR00676:@@@P
P.O. Box 540115, Waltham, MA 02454-0115 • Tel.: (781) 894-1179 • Fax.: (781) 894-0279
E-mail: afd@thealliancefordemocracy.org • Web: www.thealliancefordemocracy.org
District Visit How-To page 2
Determine your agenda and goals for the meeting. Your group’s members should meet beforehand in order
to determine the agenda and to delegate who will raise which agenda items. Have different people cover
different issues, but have one person act as a facilitator for the discussion and deliver the bulk of your
message. Your main objective is to get your Member to commit to endorsing single-payer legislation (if he or
she hasn’t already done so) and to attempt to enlist other legislators to do so.
Bring it all back home. All legislators supposedly want to improve the economy and quality of life in their
district/state. It is your job to convince them that single-payer national health insurance will have a beneficial
impact on people living in their own congressional district.
Make sure everyone in your group is prepared. Be certain everyone agrees on the central message and what
will be asked of the legislator. This way you will avoid a possible internal debate in front of your legislator.
Don’t feel that you have to be an expert. Most representatives of Congress are generalists. Be open to
counter-arguments, but don’t get stuck on them. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so. Nothing is
worse than being caught in a lie or inaccuracy. Offer to look into the question and get back to the Member
(this is also an excellent opportunity to stay in touch).
Prepare an information packet to leave with your legislator. This should include information on your
organization including the group’s contact information, as well as a description of your objectives. You should
also leave a business card with the receptionist.
Listen well! You will hear occasional indications of your representative’s actual views, and you should take
those opportunities to provide good information. Be respectful and polite; don’t be confrontational. If you
don’t get the response and endorsement you wish, you will need to make another appointment at some later
date – so don’t burn your bridges.
Don’t stay too long! Try to get closure on the issues you discuss but leave room to continue the discussion at
another time.
Build the relationship. If your representative has supported single payer in the past, be sure to thank
him/her; if the opposite is true, consider that your visit may prevent more active opposition in the future, and
perhaps even result in a positive vote at a later time.
Remember. This meeting shouldn’t be an end in itself. Think of it as the beginning of a relationship with your
representative that will allow you to voice your opinion on topics in the future. With this in mind, make sure the
relationship you build is a positive one, based on respect. Try not to be hostile: agree to disagree, if necessary.
They may not share your viewpoint, but your information does have an impact on how they vote.
Take notes. Make sure someone in your group takes notes on what is said during the meeting. However, don’t
use any recording devices. These notes should be circulated to the entire group after the meeting, as well as
shared with others of your organization or community group.
Ask for specific action. Avoid asking open-ended questions that may result in ceding control of the meeting to
the legislator or his/her aide, who may spend a large part of the meeting talking about an unrelated issue.
Always ask for specific actions; always get a specific commitment and then follow up. No matter how
supportive or unsupportive your legislator is, there is always a next step. Visit web sites for Alliance for
Democracy (www.thealliancefordemocracy.org), Healthcare NOW (www.healthcare-now.org), and Physicians
District Visit How-To page 3
for a Health Program web sites (www.pnhp.org) to find out what specific action should be sought at the time
of your meeting.
Ask his or her position. Zero in on the basics: How will s/he vote? Do party leaders have positions on the
issue? What is their influence likely to be? Is the office hearing from opponents? If so, what are their
arguments and what groups are involved? Does the Member know any other key House Members or Senators
who should be contacted to get favorable action on the bill? Is s/he willing to facilitate contact and to write a
“Dear colleague” letter?
The Member likely won’t give you an answer on the spot. Tell them you will follow up with an aide in two
weeks, and be sure to do so. Offer to answer their questions or to provide additional information.
If the Member says no, be sure to find out why. Ask them what, specifically, they oppose in the bill.
Provide affirmation where possible. Look for areas of agreement and affirm them. Convey your appreciation
for positive steps, no matter how small. Try to end the meeting on a positive note.
4. Debrief/Follow up
After the meeting, find a place where you can relax with your delegation and compare notes on the meeting.
This is important because different people might have different interpretations of what happened.
Agree as a group on who will do which follow-up tasks. Send a thank-you note after the meeting to the
representative via the person who scheduled the meeting, and, if commitments were made during the
meeting, repeat your understanding of them. Don’t forget to give a phone number and address where you can
be reached. .